The Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 Thursday afternoon in WNBA Finals Game 6 at State Farm Arena, forcing Game 7 on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center. Golden State had led the series 3-2.
The opening tip went up at 12:41 p.m. ET, or 9:41 in the Bay Area. The league had scheduled it for 12:30 so the building could be flipped for the Atlanta Hawks’ 8 p.m. game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The official attendance was 17,099, a sellout.
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Postgame | Angel Reese on USA Network
Game 7 is at Chase Center, where Atlanta won Game 2. Angel Reese said all the Dream needed was the opportunity, and they maximized it Thursday.
“Every time we threw the first punch we won the game,” Reese said. “So just being able to set the tone early. I mean we ain’t have everybody come out at 12:30 for no reason. We appreciate the fan support on a weekday. They came out and supported us every single day, every single game. So we wanted to make sure we ended this right here.”
“We ain’t have everybody come out at 12:30 p.m. for no reason!” Angel Reese on playing her final game in the ATL and the Dream’s mindset heading into Game 7 in Ballhalla https://t.co/5ZMRKyUl5o
— USA Sports (@usasports) October 29, 2026
Allisha Gray scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Rhyne Howard scored 21. Reese had 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Gabby Williams led Golden State with 26 points, 15 of them in the fourth quarter. Tiffany Hayes scored 15. The Valkyries outscored Atlanta 43-34 in the second half.
Rhyne Howard is HEATING UP That’s her THIRD triple of the day https://t.co/bDQzu3G5Mf
— ESPN (@espn) October 29, 2026
0:56 | Dream 80, Valkyries 69
Gray hit a 3-pointer off a Reese pass, her fifth 3-pointer of the game.
ALLISHA. GRAY. She knocks down a triple to halt Golden State’s comeback attempt #WNBAonUSA | Valkyries | Dream https://t.co/HArRKUXHYJ
— USA Sports (@usasports) October 29, 2026
Fourth Quarter Box Score: Dream 17, Valkyries 22
5:01 | Dream 74, Valkyries 57
Golden State called timeout after a Williams turnover, its second timeout in 41 seconds. Williams has 17 points, 6 of them in the fourth quarter.
5:43 | Dream 74, Valkyries 55
Reese hit a 3-pointer off a Gray pass, and Golden State called timeout. Reese has 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Angel Reese has broken the WNBA record for most rebounds in a single Finals series (76+) https://t.co/RstyHRlexy
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) October 29, 2026
Gray hit her second 3-pointer of the quarter off a Howard pass. She has 20 points. Reese had scored on a drive at 7:02 to end a 6-0 Golden State run.
7:18 | Dream 66, Valkyries 53
Williams made two free throws, and Golden State had scored 6 straight points. Hayes hit a pull-up jumper at 8:18, and Veronica Burton made two free throws at 7:42. Canada blocked a Kiah Stokes layup at 7:45.
9:03 | Dream 66, Valkyries 47
Gray opened the quarter’s scoring with a 3-pointer off a Howard pass, putting Atlanta up 19.
Third Quarter Box Score: Dream 17, Valkyries 21
End of Third Quarter (2:13 p.m. ET) | Dream 63, Valkyries 47
Kaila Charles hit a 3-pointer off a Hayes pass with 1.2 seconds left, her second 3-pointer of the quarter. Golden State outscored Atlanta 21-17 in the period and shot 8-of-18 (44.4%). The Dream shot 5-of-15 (33.3%) and 1-of-6 from 3-point range.
Howard leads all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Gray has 14. Reese has 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists on 3-of-13 shooting. She opened the Finals with three straight double-doubles, The Associated Press reported, before scoring 8 and 7 in Games 4 and 5.
Hayes leads Golden State with 13 points. Williams has 11 on 4-of-14 shooting.
Atlanta scored 62 points in Game 4 and 55 in Game 5. Young Dro performed at the end of the third.
1:50 | Dream 58, Valkyries 37
Gray’s turnaround jumper off a Howard pass was Atlanta’s first field goal since 4:15. Burton had cut the lead to 19 with a driving layup at 2:54.
4:15 | Dream 56, Valkyries 33
Howard scored on a drive, drew a foul on Williams, and made the free throw. Atlanta had called timeout at 4:19, after going 3 minutes without a point. Williams scored all 5 Golden State points in that stretch: a layup off her own steal at 6:29, then a transition 3-pointer at 4:51 after Hayes stole the ball from Gray.
7:19 | Dream 53, Valkyries 28
Burton was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul after an officials’ review, following a Gray steal of a Hayes pass. Howard made both free throws, and the lead was back to 25.
8:58 | Dream 49, Valkyries 26
Howard opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer. Naz Hillmon grabbed the offensive rebound off a Reese miss and found her. Gray had blocked Burton’s 3-point attempt on Golden State’s first possession of the half.
Halftime Show | T-Pain
T-Pain was the halftime act at State Farm Arena.
Young Dro https://t.co/mTphQCNWXR
— C. C.,Esq. (@ItsCwaysWorld) October 29, 2026
Halftime (1:28 p.m. ET) | Dream 46, Valkyries 26
Atlanta shot 17-of-32 (53.1%) in the first half and 8-of-15 from 3-point range. Golden State shot 9-of-34 (26.5%). The Dream trailed 25-22 at the half of Game 5, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Thank you, Dreamers Game 6 is officially SOLD OUT because of you! Let’s pull up and get ready to rally our Atlanta Dream to victory! See you tomorrow https://t.co/tL9FoKXcAq
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) October 28, 2026
Howard leads Atlanta with 11 points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting. Gray has 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Reese has 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Hayes leads Golden State with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Williams is 1-of-9 from the field. Stokes has no points and 5 rebounds in 11:50.
The Dream outrebounded the Valkyries 19-14 and outscored them 16-8 in the paint.
The Dream are UNDEFEATED when Angel Reese makes a 3-PT FG in a game this season Regular Season: 9-0 First Round + Semifinals: 4-0 Finals: 2-0 https://t.co/6UNyGquVXg
— ESPN (@espn) October 29, 2026
Second Quarter Box Score: Dream 14, Valkyries 11
1:04 | Dream 46, Valkyries 26
The last 5 points of the half went to Golden State. Hayes started it with a pull-up 3-pointer off a Charles pass at 1:35. Williams picked off Isobel Borlase at 1:10, and Amihere scored at the other end off a Kaitlyn Chen pass. Borlase’s jumper at 3:15 was Atlanta’s last basket of the half.
4:21 | Dream 44, Valkyries 19
Howard’s pull-up jumper put Atlanta ahead by 25, its largest lead of the half. Reese had hit a 3-pointer at 4:40, her first 3-pointer of the game.
8:12 | Dream 35, Valkyries 15
Howard’s 3-pointer gave Atlanta its first 20-point lead. Golden State missed its first 5 shots of the quarter.
The Dream record the highest scoring quarter of the 2026 WNBA Finals 32 PTS | 6 3PM https://t.co/HVLgyK1u7J
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 29, 2026
First Quarter Box Score: Dream 32, Valkyries 15
End of First Quarter (1:02 p.m. ET) | Dream 32, Valkyries 15
Atlanta shot 11-of-15 (73.3%) in the quarter and 6-of-8 from 3-point range. Golden State shot 5-of-17 (29.4%). The Dream scored 8 points off 4 Golden State turnovers.
Gray had 8 points on 3-of-3 shooting. Reese had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
1:05 | Dream 31, Valkyries 10
Canada’s finger-roll layup off a Reese pass put Atlanta up 21. The Dream went on a 25-5 run after Williams’ technical free throw made it 6-5 at 7:31.
2:47 | Dream 25, Valkyries 8
Howard hit 3-pointers on back-to-back Atlanta possessions, at 3:31 and 2:47.
Mayor of Atlanta checking in https://t.co/mgRd75185U
— espnW (@espnW) October 29, 2026
4:10 | Dream 19, Valkyries 5
Canada stole a Hayes pass and scored on a fast-break layup. Gray had hit her second 3-pointer at 4:24.
5:41 | Dream 11, Valkyries 5
Reese scored on a driving layup off a Gray pass, drew a foul on Stokes, and made the free throw. It was her first field goal of the game.
Angel Reese and Atlanta getting ACTIVATED in Game 6 The ATL Barbie let the Valks bench hear it after this one https://t.co/lhSXS4EWNW
— ESPN (@espn) October 29, 2026
7:06 | Dream 8, Valkyries 5
Gray hit a floater off a Hillmon pass. She shot 5-of-19 across Games 4 and 5 while playing through a hand injury.
7:31 | Dream 6, Valkyries 5
Hillmon was called for a defensive three-seconds technical, and Williams made the free throw. Gray and Hillmon had each hit a 3-pointer off a Reese pass. Burton and Hayes scored Golden State’s first baskets.
Tip-Off (12:41 p.m. ET)
Hillmon controlled the opening tip between Reese and Stokes. Golden State started Burton, Charles, Hayes, Stokes, and Williams, the lineup it used in Games 4 and 5. Atlanta started Canada, Gray, Hillmon, Howard, and Reese. Brionna Jones and Te-Hina Paopao did not dress, both listed with left leg injuries.
Pregame
Before Tip-Off | National Anthem
Yahoo Sports posted video of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during the national anthem. State Farm Arena is owned by the city of Atlanta and operated by the Hawks, Front Office Sports reported.
Both teams have left the court before the national anthem and returned afterward. The Valkyries have said that’s been their pregame routine since they entered the league last year, and the Dream have followed a similar practice for several years, according to The Associated Press. The WNBA rulebook calls for teams to stand during the anthem in a “dignified posture,” but the AP reported that those protocols have been suspended since 2017.
Heiress Harris, the daughter of T.I. & Tiny, sang the national anthem before WNBA Finals Game 6 https://t.co/zQFem0DfXJ
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 29, 2026
12:39 p.m. ET | Inside State Farm Arena
The opening tip was two minutes away when this view of State Farm Arena was posted.
12:30 pm in Atlanta. No problem for Atlanta sports fans. https://t.co/M54zI4VlGb
— Nia Symone (@NiaOnAir) October 29, 2026
11:30 a.m. ET | Bay Area Watch Party
The Valkyries opened a free watch party at Thrive City at 8:30 a.m. PT, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
11 a.m. ET | Lexie Hull on the Start Time
Sportico posted a clip of Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull.
“They should’ve switched and made the Hawks play at 12:30pm.” Lexie Hull weighs in on the WNBA Game 6 controversy. https://t.co/4sb83ChnrM
— Sportico (@Sportico) October 29, 2026
10 a.m. ET | Draymond Green on the Hawks
The Dream and the Hawks are owned by separate groups, unlike the Valkyries, who are controlled by Warriors owner Joe Lacob, The Associated Press reported. Warriors forward Draymond Green’s show posted his take on the Game 6 slot.
Draymond on the Dream/Valkyries playing WNBA Finals Game 6 at 12:30 due to Hawks scheduling conflict “That is ridiculous, however, what you all should know is the Hawks Arena is owned by the Atlanta Hawks owners, the Hawks owners do not own the Atlanta Dream, when you look at this from a business standpoint, if you’re the Atlanta Hawks, are you using this to say ‘hey, sell us this team, we should have this team’… if the Atlanta Hawks owners owned the Dream, I’m sure they’d make the Hawks play at 12:30 and have the Dream play later.”
— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) October 29, 2026
Wednesday | Gabby Williams on Game 6
Williams said Wednesday that the Valkyries know how hard Atlanta has been playing.
“You need to be hungrier,” Williams said. “You have to want it more. You have to be resilient. This is probably going to be the hardest game that we play of our entire lives, honestly. Just because both teams want it so bad, and we know how hard Atlanta’s been playing, so we just have to go beyond that.”
Wednesday | Sold Out
More than 10,000 tickets sold in the first 90 minutes they were available, a Dream spokesperson told The Associated Press. Secondary-market seats were still going for under $40 on Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Dream owners Robyn and Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and Renee Montgomery published an open letter to fans. They wrote that they raised the arena conflict with the WNBA two months earlier, when the league finalized playoff dates and times, and raised it again as Atlanta advanced. Colin Salao of Front Office Sports posted the letter.
“Playing a midday game on a Thursday is not what we would have chosen and not what we fought for,” the owners wrote. “And as much as we have great affection and nostalgia for Gateway Center Arena, we believed that our fans and the city wanted the opportunity to be a part of this historic series, and to see it played on a world-class stage. That meant State Farm Arena.”
Atlanta Dream owners Larry and Robyn Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and Renee Montgomery sent an open letter to the team’s fans following the rescheduling of Game 6. “Thank you for your patience, your flexibility, and your willingness to navigate all the hurdles being placed in front of us.”
— Colin Salao (@colincsalao) October 27, 2026
Monday | Breakfast Plans
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he would be watching over breakfast. The Warriors share ownership and Chase Center with the Valkyries.
“It’s better than, you know, having it at the YMCA that night in front of 75 people.” Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Valkyries-Dream game 6 in Atlanta being at 9:30am on Thursday. https://t.co/tvnOxzPmA3
— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) October 27, 2026
Golden State held the Dream to 29.2% shooting Monday night and won Game 5 at Chase Center, 64-55. One sign in the crowd, according to NBC News, read “MOVE THE HAWKS GAME WOMEN = PRIME TIME.”
Burton expects Golden State’s fans to find a way at 9:30 a.m.
“Call in sick,” Burton said. “I recommend it.”
Monday | What Simmons, Deitsch, and Others Posted
Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin posted that night about the 12:30 p.m. slot, for the players as well as the fans.
I’d rather play anywhere else than have a 12:30 tip for a WNBA FINALS game man! Not a good look! For fans and for the players just my 2cents that no one asked for.
— Coach Yo (@YolettMcCuin) October 26, 2026
Dan Pfeiffer, a former White House communications director, posted after the league announced the start time.
Having the game that could decide the WNBA finals in the middle of the work/school day so most fans can’t watch it is an insane choice.
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) October 26, 2026
Bill Simmons, the founder of The Ringer, posted minutes earlier.
Incredible! A heroic finishing touch to one of the dumbest leadership seasons in professional sports history. They’ve had like 12 major decisions in 2026 and somehow went 0 for 12. People want to like this league!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) October 26, 2026
Geoff Schwartz, a former NFL offensive lineman, wrote about the body clock for the visiting team.
The WNBA’s complete lack of preparation for these schedules issues highlights why leadership needed to be changed. You got a potential close out game at 1230 pm on a Thursday. One team will be playing a 930am body clock game. Brutal
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) October 26, 2026
The first two games of the series drew record ratings, according to The Associated Press. Richard Deitsch, host of the Sports Media Podcast, posted minutes after Mandel.
This is a terrible look for the WNBA — and there is no way spin it. I realize all the potential solutions sucked but the prospect of crowning a champion on a Thursday afternoon is just brutal optics (and will be brutal television ratings.) If you are the league, you are praying for a G7.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) October 26, 2026
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic wrote about Valkyries fans who would need to be free at 9:30 a.m. on a Thursday.
So Valkyries fans will need to be free at 9:30 am on a Thursday to possibly watch their team win a championship? I’m convinced the WNBA is either run by interns or the owners’ nieces and nephews.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 26, 2026
Monday | The Gateway Center Idea
Doug Feinberg, the AP’s national basketball writer, posted an option for the Hawks’ Thursday game.
Obviously this situation with Game 6 isn’t really great for anyone involved. I wonder if they considered playing the Hawks game at Gateway Arena that night. Could have been a huge PR win for them, figure out a way to get some of the money from the Dream game back to them.
— Doug Feinberg (@DougFeinberg) October 26, 2026
Rebecca Lobo replied the same day.
I love this idea and think the positive PR for the Hawks would have been worth any loss in ticket revenue for this one game. That being said, the W has to solve the “playoff arena availability” problem going forward.
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) October 26, 2026
Monday | Gray on the Clock
Atlanta News First’s Avery Braxton captured Gray’s answer on the time change.
Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray and Karl Smesko react to the Game 6 venue news. Allisha Gray – “I don’t care if we’re playing at 8am, 10pm, midnight, we got a championship to win.” https://t.co/42w8ywJ1OS
— Avery Braxton (@Brax_Avery) October 26, 2026
The league moved Game 6 up from 8 p.m. ET so the Dream could stay at State Farm Arena rather than return to Gateway Center Arena in College Park, which seats about 3,500. The Hawks pushed their game against the Cavaliers from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both NBA teams played Wednesday night, which ruled out putting their game in the early window, according to The Associated Press.
The league’s statement thanked the NBA, both teams, the Hawks, State Farm Arena, and USA Network for the collaboration that made the move possible.
“The sellout crowds and extraordinary atmosphere at State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 were a tremendous success, and we’re excited to give thousands more fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 with a championship on the line,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.
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